Track Test: 2017 Honda Civic Type R smashes its AWD competition

The new kid on the block comes out on top against the Subaru WRX STI and Volkswagen Golf R at the track

by
David Booth and Graeme Fletcher, Driving | August 30, 2017

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CALABOGIE, Ont. – David Booth: This year’s most sought after car is not a Ferrari. It’s not a Lamborghini. Hell, it’s not even a McLaren.

It’s a Honda. Yes, a Honda. The company’s Civic Type R to be specific. Oh, its not most expensive or luxurious car to be introduced this year or even the fastest. And its intended demographic — that would be fairly well to-do twentysomethings just out of pimples — is one I left behind some time ago. But there’s no denying that it dominates the automotive news cycle right now and, judging by the number of times I was given the thumbs up by Young Turks cruising in their slammed Civics/Golfs/Ford Foci on the streets, this may be the most important car Driving will test this year.

So, it’s got everyone’s attention! Now the big question: Can its performance justify all this adulation? Or, more specifically, can the little Honda keep up with the segment’s stalwarts — Volkswagen’s Golf R and Subaru’s WRX STi — even though it’s a mere front driver scrambling to keep up with turbo demons driving all four wheels? Driving took to Calabogie Motorsports Park to find out.

Graeme Fletcher: Logic dictates that running 306 horsepower through all four wheels is the only way to go. However, for every rule there has to be an exception, and the Civic Type R not only breaks the rule, it smashes it! The only time it showed any sign of overpowering the front wheels was full throttle exiting a corner. Occasionally, and it was only occasionally, it would break the inside front wheel free and spin off a little speed. Other than those few moments, the manner in which it laid down the power was smooth and seamless. The other thing that impressed was the raw power available over a very broad range. I guess force-feeding the engine its air at 22.8 psi works! The 295 pound-feet was available anytime it was needed. Even when caught one gear too high, the Type R still hauled serious ass.

2017 Honda Civic Type R at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Derek McNaughton, Driving

2017 Honda Civic Type R at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Derek McNaughton, Driving

2017 Honda Civic Type R at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Derek McNaughton, Driving

DB: You’re absolutely right, the new Type R is the best front-driver I’ve ever tested on a racetrack. Indeed, it felt like more like an all-wheel-driver than the Golf R, which pushed its front tires like a Loblaws shopping trolley whenever the pace hotted up. By comparison, the new Civic stuck to the tarmac like glue, extremely little understeer evident even at the limits of adhesion and almost no off-throttle oversteer that plagues lesser front-drivers. Even the torque steer that Graeme mentions was minimal, mere momentary wiggle that was easily ignored.

That the Civic Type R leaves the Golf R in the dust is no big surprise — Volkswagen, after all, makes no claim to racetrack prowess for its “grand touring” hatchback — but the fact that it also eclipses the STi version of Subaru’s stalwart WRX is worthy of note. In any other company, the STi would be a racetrack demon, but trying to keep up with the Type R turned it into a slightly squidgy, softly-suspended street car that needed more brakes, stiffer suspension and stickier tires.

2017 Subaru WRX STi at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Derek McNaughton, Driving

2017 Subaru WRX STi at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Derek McNaughton, Driving

2017 Subaru WRX STi at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Derek McNaughton, Driving

GF: The Civic Type R does pay a penalty for all this racetrack prowess, even with the adaptive dampers set to “comfort” the Honda’s ride felt too harsh to be an everyday driver — my dental plan would need upgrading to have my filling tightened every second drive! That aside, Honda has the sportiest version of Canada’s best selling car dialed in to a tee.

The Golf R was the biggest disappoint for me. I drove it on the street, and it was the most civilized — comfortable in spite of its tauter-than-the-GTI suspenders and it’s fast as needed when strafing a series of back road sweepers. On the track, the fact it is a front driver until rear drive is needed saw it get confused at times. Likewise, the electronic stability control system stepped in and wagged a very annoyed finger the second anything remotely resembling a liberty was taken. It was here the WRX STi came as a pleasant surprise. With a helical front differential, Torsen rear diff and an adjustable centre diff it can be set up to suit just about any eventuality in both race and rally environments. Hauling out of a corner, it just seemed to make the best use of the available grip — it hunkered down and peeled out no muss, no fuss! The fact it is a heavy car (1,596-kilograms!) saw it heat up its brakes during David’s, um, exuberant lapping. That aside, I found it an entirely palatable experience, sitting ahead of the Golf R and just lagging the Civic Type R.

2017 Volkswagen Golf R at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Derek McNaughton, Driving

2017 Volkswagen Golf R at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Derek McNaughton, Driving

2017 Volkswagen Golf R at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Derek McNaughton, Driving

DB: I would agree with your assessment, Graeme, in fact going one step further in praising the WRX STi on the track. It is slower than the Honda and, yes, I cooked both tires and brakes to full sizzle, but it is hugely entertaining to drive quickly. Unlike the Honda, which resolutely grips the tarmac, the little Sube slides magnificently. Indeed, so ably do all those differentials that Graeme detailed spread the power amongst the four wheels that you can slide either the front tires, the rears or both sets together at will. Need to slow down? Just turn the steering wheel tight and feel the front P245/35 R19s scrub off speed. Need to turn a little tighter? Well, then feed a little more of the Boxer four’s 290 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear tires and oversteer is at the ready.

As for the Golf R, I think we should be a little more gracious with its abilities. Yes, it seemed a little like a fish out of water here, but its engine is suitably powerful — 292 hp and 280 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,900 rpm — as well as smoother to boot and the ride, compared with the vertebrae-crushing gait of the Type R you mentioned, is positively plush. The Golf R, for all Volkswagen’s pretense otherwise, is a street car, and does a good job of offering Joe Dad and Deb Mom a little sporting bona fides along with its duffel bag-toting practicality. Just don’t take it to a track.

GF: The tendency is to go into these shoot-outs with a preconceived notion on how things will play out. This time it did not go as envisioned! Point taken on the Golf R — it was fun, but, as you say, a little like a fish out of water. The plus was the twin-clutch gearbox. It had the uncanny knack of being in the right gear and it rev-matched on a downshift heading towards the apex of a corner. The Golf R has a plush on-road ride and more than enough power for the driver to get their jollies. In the end, I loved the Civic Type R and its overt track ability, but hated the ride quality beyond that discipline. The fact it dusted two all-wheel-drive competitors was the notion that got smashed. However, for me the best compromise was the Subaru WRX STi. It did an admirable job on the track, yet does not beat the rider up on a grocery run.

DB: I, too, came away both surprised and amazed at the little Honda. I had assumed — and, yes, I know what that means about you and me — the STI would walk away with the racetrack trophy. And, indeed, Graeme, you’re right; the little Subaru, judge objectively with points given for both performance and practicality, is probably the best overall car here. But, my Lord, don’t tell the legion of twenthysomethings that followed me home, cornered me in shopping malls or simply gave me the thumbs up while they snapped iPhone photos on the highway. The Civic Type R is the hottest ticket on four wheels right now and every bit deserving of the attention.

On-road reviews

2017 Honda Civic Type R

2017 Honda Civic Type R at Calabogie Motorsports Park

The most impressive quality, at least for me, is one that may prove a double-edged sword for potential owners, at least those moving up from their current slammed, dubbed and tuned-to-the-max base Civics.

You see, prompt performance I expected (there is a turbocharger and 306 horsepower on board, after all). Ditto for the incredible handling (though, to be perfectly truthful, I didn’t expect it to be this incredible). No, what surprised me was how civilized the little beast is.

Oh, the ride could be mistaken for some medieval torture and the seats are narrow enough to limit ownership to the young and lithe, but the engine, indeed, the whole powertrain is almost BMW-like in its sophistication.

Despite the big turbocharger and all those psi (21.3!) of boost, Honda’s boosted 2.0-litre four is the opposite of highly-strung. Torque at low speeds is abundant, turbo lag minimal and the powerband totally linear with none of the big spikes in power that sometime afflict highly tuned engines. Throttling out of hairpins at the limit of traction is delicate and one needn’t worry about a sudden urst of torque sending the front tires skeedaddling. Other than its harsher four-cylinder song, the Type R’s little four could be mistaken for a BMW six, so easy is it to get along with.

As much as I mean that as a compliment, I’m not sure that’s what the devoted want. I think that more than a few were expecting/hoping for some recalcitrant beast whose wheel-spinning torque steer that proved how manly they are (much like Viper owners used to decry that the last generation was too civilized, by which they meant emasculating). I wonder if hot-rodders of Asian compacts will be as shallow as their pony car associates. – David Booth

2017 Subaru WRX STi

2017 Subaru WRX STi at Calabogie Motorsports Park

The Subaru WRX STi proved it has the wherewithal to run with the hottest cars in the segment when hot lapping at the track. On-road, it mirrors this performance with but one annoying trait.

The suspension dials out practically all unwanted body roll, yet the ride is comfortably compliant and the steering is sharp without needing constant correct on the highway. Throw in the seat comfort and driving position, and the WRX STi is a civilized driving experience.

The STi can also be tweaked to suit through the SI Drive. For the most part, Intelligent is the right mode. Moving to Sport and Sport+ sharpens thing progressively. Sport+ is the track mode, as the throttle becomes too twitchy in a city environment. Likewise, the manual gearbox is well sorted. The gate is defined and refined, the throws are short and the clutch is light and progressive with the bite point in the correct place.

The hitch, and the one aspect I learned to hate quickly, is the engine’s work rate on the highway. The gear ratios are spaced to maximize performance. Mission accomplished, as the STi runs to 100 kilometres an hour in 4.9 seconds. However, at 120 km/h the engine spins at around 3,300 rpm in sixth gear. This not only causes a monotonously annoying drone, it did not further the fuel economy cause. Over a 1,000 kilometre, mostly highway, drive the STi retuned an average of 12.1 litres per 100 kilometres. Not what I expected. – Graeme Fletcher

2017 Volkswagen Golf R

2017 Volkswagen Golf R at Calabogie Motorsports Park

Possibly the best thing to say about the 292-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Volkswagen Golf R is that, in normal commuting, it drives like any other Golf in the lineup. For a model touted as the ferocious leader of the pack, it’s remarkably comfortable and coddling, certainly a car that can carry the duties of day-to-day driving even despite its tuned sport suspension. And while its acceleration can be shocking with a stiff prod of the throttle (0-to-100 km/h in about five seconds), there is no bucking, snorting or otherwise antisocial behaviour you’d normally associate with a high-performance model. In fact, if said throttle is used in a law-abiding manner, you’d hardly realize the Golf R is an über hot hatchback at all.

Inside is also a familiar place if you know the Golf lineup, and that’s not a bad thing when it comes to fit, finish and quality of materials. Extremely Germanic in its sombre all-black look, the Golf R’s interior is attractive but businesslike in its logical layout; the real knobs for climate control and volume are appreciated, too. This model has the six-speed DSG transmission; in normal drive mode, the automatic downshifts are frustratingly lethargic, so the paddle shifters are useful for quick highway passes.

So, yes, in most respects, the Golf R is very much like the rest of the lineup – and that might also be the worst thing to say about it. For an extra ten grand or so above the already exciting GTI (and twenty large over the base Golf), there’s hardly anything to differentiate it from its much less expensive brethren if it’s used in your daily drive. I’d be very tempted to save some money and go for the GTI instead. – Neil Vorano